


A Moment in Time

by t_shirt



Category: Gundam Wing
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-30
Updated: 2019-12-30
Packaged: 2021-02-25 00:20:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 13,429
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22026874
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/t_shirt/pseuds/t_shirt
Summary: The lives of several guests at a plush resort are changed during Christmas with the unexpected arrival of a strange visitor from the far north.
Relationships: 1x2 - Relationship, 3x4, 5+m, Rx1(unrequited)
Kudos: 5





	A Moment in Time

A Moment in Time  
AU/Romantic Holiday Adventure  
1x2, 3x4, 5+M, Rx1 (unrequited)   
Fluff, mild angst, mild language, squishy lemon (nondescript), prissy Relena

Summary: The lives of several guests at a plush resort are changed during Christmas with the unexpected arrival of a strange visitor from the far north.

Authors note: This fic has some cannon moments embedded in it, but that’s as far as they go. It is in no way a cannon fic lol.

“What’s wrong Relena?” Mr. Darlian asked his disgruntled daughter. “Aren’t you happy to be going on holiday?”

“Not one bit,” she snipped as she turned to stare out the window of their limo to sulk. 

**

Hiiro did a mental check of his itinerary as he drove. The night was clear though there was a light sprinkling of snow that lit up in his headlights while he climbed the long mountain, but it wasn’t the promise of the Yuletide that begged his presence. There was a small area in the southern part of Africa that had endured the totalitarian rule of their oppressive leader for far too long, and there seemed only one way to end the people’s misery. 

**

A clock ticked merrily on the wall of the brightly colored workshop while conveyer belts transported items from here to there. Most of the machines were steam powered ensuring the operation remained low key and in synch with the world in general until a horrendous screeching rocked the complicated array and sent the workers scurrying for cover. 

“DUO!” an older gentleman with pointed ears yelled in the midst of the chaos while the workers scrambled around trying to save what they could of their ailing equipment. 

**

“I didn’t mean to,” Duo moped. 

“What were you thinking?” his large, cherry faced employer exclaimed in frustration. 

“The production is too slow,” Duo grumbled. “We barely managed one gift per kid last year.”

Kris sighed heavily and tried to explain…again, “I am only one man with a small workshop.”

“That’s why we need to ramp it up,” Duo explained. 

“We’re doing everything we can…”

“It’s not enough.”

“Duo,” Kris breathed coming closer so he could see his eyes. “We are all that is left,” he reminded him kindly. “You’re intentions are pure, but we must do what we can instead of dwelling on what we cannot.”

Duo knew it was true as he’d seen their numbers dwindle over time, but it didn’t make it any easier to suffer the disappointed faces on Christmas day. “There must be a way.”

“There will be no more attempts to improve the workshop,” he was told firmly. 

“Maybe we could give them something besides toys,” Duo wondered causing his bosses merry eyes to widen fearfully. 

“Perhaps your love and affection would suffice?” he hedged hoping to nip whatever was blossoming in Duo’s overactive imagination in the bud, but the comment brought a disturbingly happy grin to his lips. 

“That’s it!” Duo crowed jumping up excitedly. 

“No,” Kris countered growing more alarmed. 

“All we have to do is find a way to remind them to love each other!” Duo enthused and the sparkling jubilation in is eyes brought a slow smile to Kris’s lips. 

“You have a plan?” he asked knowingly. 

“Well,” Duo replied while his expression fell thoughtfully, “no…but…”

“Then perhaps you could travel to Leechenburg for supplies while you figure it out?” Kris smiled. 

“Alright,” Duo agreed though his mind was clearly busily working on the problem while he made his way out. 

**

“Wufei, come,” Fei Wen prompted her reluctant son. “Where are your glasses?”

“I don’t need them,” he insisted. 

She sighed, but let it go and informed him, “You must try to be more tolerant.”

“My happiness is in no way relevant to this insanity,” he grumbled. “Why must we be subject to this westerners holiday?”

“We’ve come to celebrate the New Year,” his father reminded him. 

“The Chinese New Year is over two weeks away,” Wufei countered. 

“The Brighton’s value the Christmas holiday,” Fei Wen informed him sternly. “It’s only polite to honor their traditions.”

“Our presence has nothing to do with honoring father’s business partner’s holiday traditions,” Wufei spat angrily. 

“Perhaps you’ll be more agreeable to the arrangement once you’ve met Meilan,” his father commented. 

“Not that it matters!” Wufei growled going red faced. 

“You will honor our decision!” 

“Keung,” Fei Wen soothed her agitated husband. 

He calmed, but only to a point he wasn’t screaming when he informed his son, “This is how it’s been done for many generations in the Dragon Clan and you, like your forefathers, will do what is best for our family!”

“How does this benefit us?” Wufei asked standing his ground. “She’s not even directly related to them.”

“She is a distant relative, but one of Chinese linage and a direct descendant of the Long family who served alongside our ancestors,” Keung reminded him. “And your marriage will help ensure the prosperity of our people.”

“You mean hitching me to this girl will open the door for you to do business with the West!” Wufei spat. 

Keung shifted his weight and straightened his back before he elaborated, “And build a foundation for the Brighton’s in the East.”

Wufei snorted disdainfully before he turned on his heel and walked out.

**

“Duo?”

“Hiya, Quat,” he grinned while he tightened the harness and secured the small sleigh. 

“What are you doing?” Quatre asked coming into the stable. “You can’t take him, he hasn’t been feeling well.”

Duo looked the reindeer over, then patted his neck and insisted, “He’ll be fine. There’s a storm blowing around so I might need him to get back.”

“He is not fine,” Quatre countered starting when the animal snorted. “And his light doesn’t work when he’s sick anyway.”

Duo peered at the side of the reindeers head, then smacked him gently on the antler whereupon his nose glowed brightly while he stamped his hooves indignantly. “See,” Duo grinned climbing in the sleigh. “We’ll be back in a few hours. Kris wants the troughs kept full until the twenty fifth.”

“Duo!” Quatre protested, but received only a wave of his mittened hand as he shot skyward. 

“It’s nice to be out of the pin he, Rudy?” Duo smiled as they soared through the sky, but all the animal did was snort. Duo considered him cautiously wondering if Quatre was right, but he seemed okay, so he kicked back and let his mind wander. “There has to be something we can do.” But nothing that crossed his mind seemed to help and soon they were touching down outside the small village of Leechenburg where they often bought hay and meal for the reindeer. 

“Hi, Duo,” Mitty, the young daughter of the local feed store owner smiled when he pulled up outside. 

“Hi,” he greeted. “Is your dad around?” 

“He’s gone to fetch Wilton from the mill,” she smiled coyly sauntering up to his side. 

He offered her an awkward smile, then headed for the barn. “I need three bails and a sack of oats,” he informed her. 

“I can add it to your tab,” she offered helpfully while he stacked the items on the sleigh. 

“Thanks,” he smiled granting her a soft brush of his fingers on her cheek that left stars sparkling in her eyes before he made his way out of town. 

He chuckled when he entered the woods recalling how her mother had behaved in much the same way when she was her age, then checked the road and lifted over the trees. It was a two hour flight to the workshop and he didn’t like the look of the clouds moving in from the east. 

“Better pick up the pace,” he said urging Rudy faster, but he seemed reluctant to cooperate. “Hey,” Duo prompted trying to get a better look at him, but he suddenly snorted violently almost sending them into the trees below. “Whoa!” Duo gasped doing his best to guide them to safety. “Are you alright?” he asked growing more concerned as the stars winked out above them. “Hey, buddy,” he coaxed nervously. “We could use a little light.” However, all Rudy did what snort loudly again and Duo suddenly realized he was sneezing, which not only meant he couldn’t guide their way, but every time he sneezed he completely lost his sense of direction and sent them careering all over the sky. 

**

“Will we be stopping for long?”

“Be patient, Relena,” her father smiled while he gazed in her window. “The driver will take care of the gas and I need to make a phone call. I can’t seem to get any reception with this storm moving in.”

“Yes, Father,” she sighed and he smiled tolerantly before going inside the small store. 

She huffed the moment he was gone clearly unhappy, but forgot her boredom when a sleek looking car pulled up to the pump beside them. The door opened revealing a young man of Asian decent though she’d never seen a Japanese man fill out a jacket quite like he did and felt it in the tendons of her neck when he turned to scowl at the horizon. She glanced at the store while he was busy getting his gas, then giggled and exited the car. 

“Hello,” she greeted the handsome young man, but he offered nothing more than a cold glance. “Are you staying at the resort?” she pressed on undeterred. “My father is making me accompany him for the holiday,” she huffed leaning against the pump sulkily. “I really don’t know why I had to attend. He won’t even remember I’m here once he meets up with his colleagues.” Her brow creased curiously when the guy finished with the gas and took his receipt from the pump. “Perhaps we’ll see each other again,” she hurried to say, though he didn’t seem to hear her while he got in his car and drove away, but she smiled anyway and offered to his absence, “I’m Relena…Relena Darlian.”

**

“Rudy!” Duo shouted over the howling wind, but he couldn’t see past the end of his nose and knew the reindeer was near hysteria. If there was one thing Rudy wasn’t accustomed to it was running blind, so there was nothing either of them could do when the sleigh clipped the top of a pine and sent them crashing to the ground where they skidded down a small hill and crashed into the side of a car knocking it off the road, down a slope and into a snow bank. 

“Rudy?” Duo groaned and though his head was still spinning he saw the frantic flight of a young reindeer racing off through the sky. 

“Are you hurt?”

“What?” he inquired wishing the stars would stop flashing in his eyes, but when they did he didn’t feel much better. “Who’re you?”

“You knocked me off the road,” the guy told him. 

“We crashed?” Duo inquired trying to look around, but as he was still on his back he couldn’t see much. 

“Yes, you hit my car.”

“Car?” Duo echoed then gasped, “A human!” while he pulled his hat down over his ears. 

“Relax,” the guy soothed. “Just rest a moment. Does it hurt anywhere?”

“Uh…no,” Duo replied making sure his ears were covered while he pushed himself to his feet. “Oh, noooo,” he groaned when he saw his ruined sleigh.

“I hope you’re insured,” the guy commented going to check the damage to his car. 

“Where are we?” Duo asked trying to get a bearing, but the wind was still blowing so much snow around he couldn’t see the stars. 

The guy stared at him a moment, then asked, “You don’t know where you are?”

“I forgot my map,” Duo lied dreading having to explain how he wrecked the sleigh to Kris. 

“We’re about two miles from the Carrington Resort.” 

“Greenland!” Duo gasped startling his companion. “That’s a thousand miles from…” he began then froze and deadpanned, “Kris is going turn me into a marionette when he finds out.”

“Are you alright?” 

“Peachy,” he smiled, “but it looks like we have a long walk ahead of us.”

“The car might run. If you help I’d be glad to give you a lift to the hotel.”

“Hotel?” Duo echoed numbly, then chuckled, “No…thanks, but…there are…humans up there. I’ll just walk for awhile,” he grinned backing cautiously away. 

“It’s fifteen degrees,” the stranger stated. “And we’re in the middle of a storm.”

Duo looked up at the swirling sky and sighed. “Alright,” he conceded. “But can you just take me to the nearest town?” 

“That’s twenty miles away. The resort is just up the hill. You can call someone from there.”

Duo smiled sheepishly since there was only one way he could call someone and he had to be far away from any human being to do it. It wasn’t going to work in the storm though, so he was forced to help dig out the car, which had a huge dent in the side, but started and ran alright. 

“Are you a performer?” the stranger asked taking in his brightly colored clothes while they drove up the mountain.

“No,” Duo replied tugging his hat down securely. 

His companion considered his grumpy expression for a moment then offered, “I’m Hiiro.”

“Duo,” he returned, then scrubbed his red nose on the back of his bright red mitten. 

“What were you doing out in this mess in a sleigh?” Hiiro wondered. 

“Crashing into you,” Duo snorted. “Man, I’m gonna be in so much trouble,” he groaned. 

“The sleigh wasn’t yours?”

“It’s Kri…it belongs to my boss,” Duo explained. “And he wasn’t very happy with me before I left,” he confessed staring up at the darkened sky. “I sure hope Rudy’s alright.”

“Who?”

“My rein…deer,” Duo replied stalling when he realized what he said. “Listen,” he added before he could ask any questions. “It’d really help me out if we didn’t have to tell anyone about this.”

“This is a rental,” Hiiro explained. “I’ll be liable for the damages if we don’t.”

“Right,” Duo nodded looking more miserable by the moment. 

“Here we are,” Hiiro said as the brightly lit resort came into sight, but Duo’s only response was to pull his hat down as far as it would go and sink down in the seat. 

“Come on,” Hiiro coaxed as he’d had to open his door and offer his hand to tempt him out of his seat. 

“Is there a problem, sir?” the valet asked seeing the damage to the car. 

“We’ll take care of it,” Hiiro assured him tossing him the keys. 

“Woooow,” Duo breathed when they entered the massive lobby as it was decorated heavily for the season with silver balls and tinsel. There was thick garland wrapped in lights around every marble pillar and an enormous tree of silver and blue in the center that stood no less than twenty feet high.

“You like it?” Hiiro chuckled seeing the wonder dancing in his eyes. 

“It’s amazing,” Duo smiled. “I didn’t think humans cared for Christmas anymore.”

Hiiro’s brow wrinkled at the odd use of the word humans again and made a mental note to see that he visited a doctor. “Registrations this way,” he informed him having to tug on his bright red and yellow sleeve to get him moving.

“Look at that,” Duo giggled when they passed a shop window where a small train was making it’s way merrily around a track set in a fake snow bank. 

“That’s Santa’s train,” a little girl who had been watching it through the window informed him. 

“Santa doesn’t have a train,” Duo countered distractedly. “The tracks would get mucked up in the snow.”

Her brow creased while she watched the little train chug along the track and asked, “Then what does he use.”

“Sleighs,” Duo grinned. 

“Duo?” Hiiro prompted casting a bemused glance at the train while he led him away. “You have a reservation for Hiiro Yui,” he told the clerk who busied herself with a confirmation. 

“You’re in suite twelve twenty one,” she informed him handing him a card key. 

“Do you need a room for the night?” Hiiro asked Duo, but he was so captivated by the sparkling decorations he had to ask again. “Duo, can you call someone to come get you or will you need a room?”

Some of the light faded from Duo’s eyes while he tried to think of some way to contact home, but there was no way he could do it in the resort. “I guess I’ll need a room.”

The clerk smiled and went to work, then informed him, “I have a single on the fourth floor, but the fee is at the holiday rate.”

“There’s a fee?” Duo whispered to Hiiro who was taken aback by the inquiry. 

“Five hundred and twenty a night,” the clerk informed him. 

“Five hundred what?” Duo asked. 

“Perhaps you could share my suite,” Hiiro offered asking while she worked, “Is there a physician on duty?”

“Are you in need of assistance?” she asked looking Duo over cautiously. 

“We had a little fender bender on the way in,” Hiiro explained. 

“I’m afraid we don’t have a doctor,” she informed him. “But there’s a fire station about five miles east.”

“Thank you,” Hiiro smiled accepting the second card key, but as he turned around to collect Duo he saw his mark stepping out of the elevator and paused. 

He was traveling incognito as was his custom when he took pleasure trips and had a scantily clad young woman on either arm while he made his way toward the casino where he would, no doubt, gamble away some poor mans life savings. Hiiro was just about to follow when a young, blonde girl stepped before him. 

“Hello again,” she smiled flashing a critical glance at Duo and his brightly colored attire. 

“Relena?” Mr. Darlian scolded, “You shouldn’t wander.”

“Excuse me,” Hiiro said trying to go around, but she nabbed his arm and laughed. 

“Don’t tell me you’ve forgotten me already?” she chuckled. 

“Who’s this?” Darlian inquired. 

“Perhaps the only reason I won’t be utterly bored while we’re here,” she smiled coyly. 

“Who’re you?” Duo wondered. 

She looked him over seeming displeased with something before offering, “Relena Darlian. And you are?”

“I’m sorry, I don’t believe we’ve met,” Mr. Darlian interjected offering his hand to Hiiro. “I’m Robert Darlian.”

“Vice Foreign Minister Darlian,” Relena added haughtily. 

“Hiiro Yui,” Hiiro replied distractedly, but he couldn’t see into the casino well enough to keep track of his mark. 

“You see,” Relena commented demurely while her eyes took in Hiiro’s strong body. “You’ll have no reason to worry over me this year. Hiiro and I have…”

“Excuse me,” Hiiro cut in pushing Duo along as he made a hasty exit leaving the girl gaping in mid sentence. 

“Do you know her?” Duo wondered glancing back to see her and her father moving on. 

“No,” Hiiro told him cursing his luck when he couldn’t locate his mark. 

“What’s that?” Duo wondered when he heard a happy melody in the air. 

“What?” 

“I know that song,” Duo grinned heading for the sound. 

“Duo?” Hiiro called chasing after him. 

“Look!” Duo sang when he stopped in front of a small group of people who had gathered to sing carols. 

Hiiro watched in stunned amazement when Duo suddenly jumped the short fence surrounding the risers and joined in the song. The people didn’t seem to know what to think at first, but his enthusiasm as he danced and twirled around them soon had them laughing and clapping their hands. A moment later Duo had snatched up a plate and fork from an abandoned table and was tapping out a lively beat in accompaniment. Hiiro watched while he inspired the group into one song after another and a crowd gathered in response to his jubilation until he suddenly spun to a halt right in front of Hiiro’s astonished eyes. 

“I thought you’d forgotten about us!” Duo beamed through rosy cheeks and a smile as bright as the sun. “But you didn’t did you? You kept the old memories alive!”

Hiiro was forced to swallow before he could speak, but when his jaw dropped he couldn’t think of a single thing to say. 

“The show was lovely,” a woman standing nearby smiled while she patted Duo on the shoulder and handed him a five dollar tip, but Duo’s smile fell when his stomach growled loudly. 

“Would you like to get something to eat?” Hiiro chuckled. 

“With this?” Duo grinned holding up the five. 

“Keep it,” Hiiro laughed turning them toward the restaurant. “I’ll cover dinner.”

“Alright,” Duo smiled shoving the five in his pocket while he followed along. 

“Just two?” the hostess inquired. 

“Yes,” Hiiro nodded chuckling when Duo stuffed his face in an arrangement of flowers and inhaled deeply. 

“What are these?” he asked when he resurfaced. 

“The greenhouse sent the wrong arrangement,” the hostess explained. “We were supposed to get poinsettia’s, but they sent a spring mix.”

“This is what spring smells like?” Duo asked while he gazed at the flowers wondrously. 

“If you’re lucky enough to work in a flower shop I suppose,” she chuckled glancing inquisitively at Hiiro, but he had no ready explanation for his odd behavior. 

“Shall I show you to your table now?” she asked pulling Duo’s attention away from the flowers, but his eyes fell instantly on the tank of lobsters behind her station. “Woooow!”

“You can choose one now if you like,” the hostess informed him. 

“For what?” Duo asked while he tapped on the glass and giggled at the odd creatures. 

“For dinner, of course,” she chuckled. 

“You eat them!?” Duo gasped rounding on her in utter horror. 

“Well, yes,” she confirmed looking to Hiiro for guidance. 

“He’s a vegetarian,” he told her unaware that he’d pegged it right until they sat down to order. 

“You really eat…meat?” Duo asked sounding ill at the thought. 

“Does it bother you that much?” Hiiro inquired while he tried to find something on the menu that wouldn’t offend his companion. 

“Well,” Duo thought it over. “I suppose all the animals of Earth hunt and kill for food. I guess I just figured you’d be a little more humane…you know…being human,” he explained while he studied the menu, so he missed it when Hiiro’s brow knit. 

“How about a nice salad?” he asked after a time. 

“Cool,” Duo grinned laying his menu aside.

They ordered and were halfway through their meal before Hiiro’s curiosity got the better of him and he commented, “You’re still wearing your hat.”

“Oh,” Duo smiled sheepishly making sure it was still pulled down tight. “My ears get cold easy.”

“You can take a hot shower when we turn in,” Hiiro offered. 

“Thanks,” Duo replied averting his eyes when they lighted on a steak a gentleman nearby was eating. 

“Do you live around here?” Hiiro asked in an attempt to distract him, but when he saw one of the lobsters being brought out of the kitchen his bottom lip began to wibble. “Why don’t we take this upstairs,” he suggested waving their waitress down. “It’s a little chilly in here anyway.”

Duo smiled gratefully and tried to keep his eyes off the food while they packed up, paid the bill and headed for the elevator. 

“Is something wrong?” Duo asked when Hiiro stopped to watch a man coming out of the casino. 

“No,” he replied scowling at the way he was laughing drunkenly and molesting his babes as he led them toward the bar. He’d have to deal with him later after he got things cleared up with Duo, so he stepped up and called the elevator. 

It was so strange how Duo seemed captivated by even the simplest things and he laughed silently while he watched him push each button for each floor and giggle happily as they lit up. The fact that the lift would be detained until the commands were cleared only made it that much more amusing and he was inspired to laugh out loud when Duo gaped as the door opened on each floor. 

“Where are you from?” he asked wondering how someone of Duo’s age could have survived without having used a standard elevator before. 

“Um…up north,” Duo evaded reaching for the fire alarm, but Hiiro chuckled and intercepted shaking his head when Duo looked at him curiously. 

“We’re in Greenland,” Hiiro reminded him doing a mental check on anything that was north and coming up with nothing but ocean and ice.

“Oh, well,” Duo shrugged easing into their room. “It’s not that far, really.”

“You said something about a thousand miles before,” Hiiro recalled. 

“That was just…you know…the heat of the moment,” Duo explained. 

“Would you like me to hang up your coat?” Hiiro asked holding his hand out expectantly. 

Duo stared at him for a moment as if uncomfortable with the request, but unable to come up with a viable reason to refuse he simply breathed, “Sure,” and shed the garment doing his best to ignore the strange expression on Hiiro’s face. 

“It that a costume?” Hiiro asked while he hung their coats and tried to make sense out of the candy stripped, multi colored configuration upon Duo’s thin frame. 

“Well, it is Christmas,” Duo reasoned uncomfortably. 

“More so for some than others,” Hiiro commented. 

“The snows still coming down pretty hard,” Duo observed going to the glass doors that led to the balcony. 

“It’s supposed to last into tomorrow,” Hiiro informed him. 

“All day?” Duo groaned starting when he realized Hiiro was standing right behind him. 

“Is that a problem?” he asked smiling slowly when Duo blushed. 

“I can’t call home until the storms over,” Duo sighed moving around and away from him. 

“They have a land line if your cell can’t get a signal,” Hiiro told him. 

Duo moved nervously around the couch while he explained, “We don’t get very good reception at home. They won’t be able to take the call until the weather clears.”

Hiiro wondered how remote this place must be to be so far removed, but there was a more pressing query nibbling at his brain. “Are your ears still cold?”

“What?” Duo stammered making sure his hat was down tight. 

“You’re still wearing your hat.”

“Oh…ummmm…”

“You can take a hot shower if you want,” Hiiro reminded him. 

“Right,” Duo chirped happily. 

“I have some PJ’s you can borrow if you need them,” Hiiro offered. 

“What?” Duo asked cocking his head. 

“To sleep in,” Hiiro elaborated while he sipped a short brandy he’d fixed himself at the bar. 

“Like a night shirt,” Duo smiled. “Sure, thanks.”

Hiiro’s brow knit curiously while he thought the comment over, but it didn’t help, so he went to get the clothes. 

“They have legs,” Duo giggled when he held them up and Hiiro was left staring numbly again. “I’ll be out in a jiffy,” Duo told him, then closed the door and stopped to take a very deep breath while Hiiro went to fix himself another drink. 

There were so many amazing things in the human world he couldn’t quite get his head around it. All he’d ever known were the wishes of the children, but they never got to see what happened to them when they grew up. Adults didn’t believe in Santa Claus and anyone who had stumbled upon the truth had inadvertently endangered them all, so it was strictly forbidden to interact with them, but the more he thought about it the more he questioned the reasons why. 

The bathroom wasn’t so different from his own, but the controls were odd. He managed with little trouble though the glass door made him feel as if he were on display somehow. The soaps were nice, but he left off washing his long hair since it would take so long to dry, then eeped and nearly jumped out of his skin when he turned to find Hiiro standing outside the stall. 

“What’re you doing in here!?” he gasped holding the wash cloth over his groin. 

“Sorry,” Hiiro chuckled while he leaned against the counter and set his empty tumbler by the sink. “I just wondered why you never take your hat off.”

“Wha?!” Duo gasped dropping the cloth in favor of slapping his hands over his ears, but his skin crisped so hot when Hiiro’s eyes fell to his crotch he quickly covered himself again. 

“Is that why you’re embarrassed?” Hiiro asked glancing at his pointed ears. 

“What?” Duo snipped. 

“Because they’re misshapen.”

“They are not misshape…” Duo growled, but suddenly stopped and fumed silently. 

“You shouldn’t let it bother you,” Hiiro told him. “They’re kind of cute actually,” he smiled while he headed for the door. “It sort of makes you look like an elf.”

Duo snorted a wan laugh as the door shut and mumbled, “Imagine that.”

He decided he’d like to have some clothes upon his person after that scene, so he finished up and quickly dressed discovering that the PJ’s were just big enough to make him feel like an idiot while they hung on his small frame. Well, he was tall for an elf, but even short humans like Hiiro had him beat, so he rolled up the arms and legs and went to join his roommate. 

However, when he arrived in the common room it was to discover that Hiiro had curled up on the couch and fallen asleep. A quick assessment of the room revealed a fresh blanket and pillow on the foot of the only bed and he smiled understanding that his new friend had sacrificed his comfort for him. It was all so strange, but sort of wonderful since Hiiro was around, so he spread out the blanket and snuggled into the big bed with a happy smile on his face and visions of a bright new future in his head. 

“Duo?....Duuuuo…”

“Mmmm,” he moaned smiling happily while he reached for the warmth above him, but before he could pull it close his eyes snapped open on the amused face of his new roommate “Hiiro?” he gasped while his hands flew to cover his ears. 

“You don’t have to worry about that,” Hiiro chuckled then smiled, “I know all about your cute, little elf ears.”

Duo’s color escalated dangerously while he fidgeted about, then thought to ask, “What’re you doing here?”

“Well,” Hiiro breathed and Duo’s eyes went round while he let his mouth curl into a smirk and began, “I thought I’d take a shower, but…” He laughed when Duo suddenly disappeared and rushed into the bathroom, then followed along. Duo was fussing over the lobsters in the tub when he arrived and leaned on the doorframe amusedly. 

“They were going to eat them,” Duo defended while he watched the creatures swim around. 

“They won’t survive long in the tub,” Hiiro pointed out, but Duo’s brow creased determinedly and he smiled. “Come on,” he chuckled. “Let’s get some breakfast and find out how far it is to the nearest beach.”

Duo beamed a bright smile at him, then dashed off in search of his clothes. 

“You can borrow some of mine,” Hiiro offered while he watched him pull on the shirt which jingled merrily as the little bells on the sleeves were jostled about. 

“Thanks,” Duo replied going to work on his candy striped suspenders. “But your stuff is too big for me.”

Hiiro looked him over, then stepped up so close in front of him their noses nearly touched, which not only displayed the fact that Duo was shorter, but how much bigger his eyes were. “I guess you’re right,” Hiiro smirked while he gazed down on him. 

Duo blinked into his amused eyes, then eased away and pulled on his hat before they went down to breakfast. They were in between the eighth and ninth floors when the lift slowed and opened upon a scene. 

“Wufei!” a woman shouted from down the hall, but the young, Chinese guy she was calling after just kept stepping until he entered the lift and punched angrily at the buttons. 

“Don’t push them all,” Duo calmly advised earning a dark glare from the young man. “It’ll take forever to reach the ground,” he chuckled, then grinned when the guy stalled to look him over. 

“I am well aware of how an elevator works,” he informed him glancing warily at the amused smirk on Hiiro’s lips. 

“Was that your mom?” 

“Excuse me.”

“The lady upstairs,” Duo clarified. 

“Who are you?” Wufei asked clearly affronted by his curiosity, but he was taken aback by the bright smile that blossomed on Duo’s lips. 

“I’m Duo,” he told him while he took his hand, shook it vigorously and asked, “Was she angry?”

Wufei scowled at him while he liberated his hand and informed him, “Yes.”

“What did you do?”

“Why does it have to be my fault?” Wufei grumbled flashing an annoyed look at Hiiro when he snickered. 

“You may not be at fault,” Duo observed, “But cause is often unavoidable.” Wufei’s brow knit while he worked on that one until Duo commented, “She sounded worried about you.”

“If she’s worried she should talk my father out of this idiotic notion,” he snipped. 

“What notion is that?” Duo wondered and Wufei rounded on him in preparation for a reprimand, but when he looked into his huge, violet eyes his ire unraveled. 

“They’ve arranged for my marriage,” he groaned falling against the wall. 

“You’re in love?!” Duo gasped excitedly and Wufei and Hiiro were inspired to stare at him. 

“No,” Wufei informed him straightening himself. “I’ve never even met the girl.”

“Then why would you want to marry her?” Duo inquired. 

“It’s politics,” Wufei sighed. “My father gets the chance to market in the States and Brighton’s ambition to expand in the East gets accelerated.”

“I thought marriage was about love and companionship?” Duo asked Hiiro. 

“It’s supposed to be,” Hiiro explained. 

“I’ll never love her,” Wufei sighed wishing he hadn’t stabbed at so many buttons when he came on board when the elevator stopped again. 

“Why not?” Duo wondered looking for a bright side. “Maybe she’s a perfectly wonderful girl and…” but he stalled when Wufei turned a calculating eye on him, which slowly soaked in every aspect of his thin body from his thick bangs to the tips of his toes. “Oh,” he chirped while his cheeks turned red and Hiiro stepped closer to his side. “Does your mom know?”

“What!?” Wufei gasped in sudden horror. “Of course not!”

“You haven’t told your mom?” Duo gaped. 

“She a traditional Chinese woman,” Wufei snipped. “She couldn’t possibly understand…”

“There are lots of gay people in China,” Duo countered and Wufei was back to gaping while Hiiro chuckled. “She didn’t look blind or stupid to me,” Duo went on. “And she’s your mom.”

“I…” Wufei stammered, but was stalled when the doors opened on the lobby. 

“You should tell her,” Duo smiled while he and Hiiro exited the lift and Wufei was so stunned by the encounter he stood numbly until the doors closed. 

“Come on,” Hiiro chuckled nabbing him by the sleeve, but they pulled up short when they reached the restaurant and discovered the hostess speaking with hotel security. Duo’s face flushed red while he went rigid as Hiiro steered him around the couple who were talking adamantly about the empty tank behind her station. 

“…must have been taken during the night. To think someone would take such a chance for five little shellfish…”

“But they were going to eat them!” Duo hissed indignantly, but Hiiro had stepped in front of him and pushed him toward a table before he could make a scene. 

“Do you have a problem with eggs?” he asked while he looked the breakfast menu over. 

“Unborn chicks,” Duo grumbled rolling his eyes.

“Most people understand the need to feed,” Hiiro commented. 

“I know,” Duo sighed. “I’m just not used to all this.”

“You can’t tell me everyone is a vegetarian where you come from,” Hiiro chuckled, but stalled when Duo gave him a significant look. “Everyone?” he gasped incredulously while Duo laid claim to his cutlery. “Do you live in some sort of commune?” Hiiro wondered. “Like the Amish or something?”

“Something like that,” Duo chuckled.

“Well, that would explain a lot,” Hiiro laughed. “There’s a fruit cup and toast,” he offered, but Duo declined on the toast and had them make him a tall salad instead. 

Hiiro joined him though he couldn’t recall ever having had lettuce and carrots for breakfast before, but it filled him up as well as any bacon and eggs, then slowly ground to a halt when he noticed his mark sitting across the room stuffing his face with waffles. 

“Is something wrong?” Duo wondered glancing at where he was staring, but Hiiro hardly heard him. 

He realized while he sat there with celery in his teeth that he had somehow completely forgotten his purpose for coming there. His gaze shifted to Duo’s concerned expression and he felt the odd contentment that had veiled his mission from his mind descend on him again before he glanced at his mark dismissively and smiled. “No, everything’s fine.”

They found a map in the gift shop that revealed the ocean was a couple of hours drive, but figuring out a way to get Duo’s little friends in the car without being seen was a problem. 

“Do you think they’ll be alright?” Duo wondered while he checked on the little beaties later in the morning. 

“We don’t have much choice,” Hiiro reminded him. “We’ll have to wait until after dark.”

Duo moped wishing he wasn’t so restricted while he thought of the magic dust that had rendered him invisible when he rescued the shellfish, but he couldn’t use such means with Hiiro around. The fact that he was still there patiently leaning against the door frame warmed Duo’s heart considering he was usually scolded for such behavior and inspired him to glance his way and smile. 

Hiiro watched him for a moment considering his red and green hat, the strange candy stripes on his clothes and how he hadn’t bothered to remove his mitten while tending to the lobster and chuckled to himself. “Would you like some hot chocolate?” he asked having a look at the vid in the common room. “We could kill some time and watch a show until the storm lets up.”

“Alright,” Duo agreed and Hiiro’s brow knit when he removed his mitten from the tub and it didn’t even drip. 

“You won’t need this,” he reminded him snagging the hat off his head when he walked by and Duo only balked for a moment before his cheeks flared red and he headed for the couch. “Pick whatever show you like,” he told him heading for the bar where a box of complimentary coco was displayed, but all Duo did was stare at the blank screen. “Use the remote,” Hiiro prompted watching with interest while Duo looked around cluelessly. “You don’t have television in your commune?” Hiiro laughed walking over to hand him the remote off the table. 

“We don’t have a remote,” Duo explained shyly while he punched at the buttons until the screen came to life. It was crude and lacked the elegance of their crystal seer, but the short stories were amusing. 

“They have satellite if you want to avoid the commercials,” Hiiro informed him while he brought their drinks. 

“What?” Duo inquired while he giggled at some dancing animations on the screen. 

“Here,” Hiiro chuckled taking the remote and switching to a movie channel that was playing some modern holiday romance. 

“I don’t get it,” Duo commented after awhile. 

“What’s not to get?” Hiiro wondered. “They both want to win her heart.”

“But they just keep buying her bigger, more expensive stuff,” Duo pointed out. 

“Because they want to prove she’s important to them,” Hiiro explained. 

“If she was important to them they’d be more concerned with making her laugh than romancing her bank account,” Duo grumbled. 

Hiiro chuckled around the cracker he was chewing on and told him, “It’s supposed to be funny.”

“Well, it fails,” Duo grumped.

“How about this?” Hiiro laughed, then giggled when Duo squirmed as he reached over him for the remote because Duo had gotten cold and they were tangled in one of the blankets from the bed. 

“What’s this?” Duo asked when Hiiro found what he was looking for. 

“It’s a relaxation channel,” he informed him. “It’s supposed to quiet the mind.”

Duo smiled and sighed softly while he listened to the gentle sounds of the forest and watched images of babbling brooks and the wind in the trees. “It’s nice.”

“If only it was that nice here,” Hiiro commented looking out a crack in the curtain at the storm outside. “You could call home.”

Duo snuggled down beside him and curled under the blanket while he smiled, “There’s no hurry,” and Hiiro’s temples visibly pulsed. “Hiiro?” Duo breathed uncertainly when he moved forward, but there was the strangest light in his eyes that appeared to be muddling his hearing. “What’re you nn!” Duo grunted going wide eyed when their mouths met, but the heat that coursed through his chest slowly stole his senses away and the next thing he knew his arms were around Hiiro’s neck while he kissed him with growing enthusiasm. 

“Duo!” Hiiro suddenly hissed as he pushed him down into the couch and kissed him madly. 

“What’s…happening?” Duo panted as Hiiro invaded his clothes. 

“I’ll show you,” Hiiro promised relishing the tremor in his body when he gained access to his chest and dove in to taste his skin. 

“Ah!” Duo gasped digging his fingers in his hair as he arched back and panted heavily when Hiiro forced a hand down his pants. 

It all happened so fast Hiiro was left staring at him breathlessly when he suddenly howled and tensed, then bucked and marveled at the astonishment in Hiiro’s eyes while he played with the warm evidence of his culmination between his fingers. 

“You’re a virgin,” Hiiro surmised as a slow smile curled his lips. 

“Hiiro,” Duo whimpered, then moaned when Hiiro kissed him and proceeded to totally rock his world. 

“What’re you doing?” Duo hissed a short while later when Hiiro finally lost it and nestled between his legs. He’d taken the time to prepare him well in the hope that things wouldn’t be so hard on him, but the prolonged foreplay was driving him crazy. 

“Take a deep breath,” he instructed while he pushed forward and rocked Duo’s body back, which lifted his hips as he slowly penetrated him. 

Duo’s eyes went wide and sparkled with tears as his mouth fell open and he gripped him tightly as he hissed, “Hiiro!” but then Hiiro kissed him as he thrust forward and filled him up. 

A moment later he was moving steadily inside him and Duo could hardly catch his breath. It was all like some fantastic dream, he was so perfect, so receptive and so mind numbingly hot all Hiiro could manage was to rock him hard, to thrust and rut until they were both covered in sweat and desperately seeking salvation, which came to them at the peek of an escalating unification that left them breathless and shivering in the heat. 

Hiiro held him for a time while their bodies cooled and they caught their breath before sanity suddenly returned and he swore, “Damn, are you alright?” as he moved back far enough to see the mess he’d made. 

“I thought,” Duo panted still winded and shaken, “this was meant for procreation.”

Hiiro stared at him momentarily stunned for a moment, then laughed and levered off of him. “Well,” he breathed running a hand through his unruly bangs. “I suppose that is the essential purpose.”

“But we can’t breed,” Duo pointed out either unwilling or unable to move just yet. 

“You didn’t like it?” Hiiro hedged uncertainly, but his heart lightened when Duo laughed. 

“It was incredible,” he confessed bringing a dopey grin to Hiiro’s lips until he commented, “I wonder if this is why Trowa and Quatre share a room.”

“Who?” 

“My friends,” Duo smiled. “They’ve been gaga for centur…years,” he amended. “But I never really thought about why they sleep together.”

“And now?” Hiiro grinned while he crawled over top of him. 

“Now I wonder why they ever come out of their room,” Duo chuckled as he wrapped him up tight. 

They spent the better part of the afternoon getting to know each other better, which wholly delighted Hiiro when he discovered how limber he was before the inevitable happened and Hiiro noticed the storm had let up. 

“You should be able to make your call now,” he observed while he played with Duo’s bangs where they rested on his shoulder. 

“I don’t want to go home yet,” Duo grumbled snuggling in closer. “Besides, I still don’t know what to do.”

“About what?” Hiiro wondered. 

Duo thought about it, then levered up and asked, “If you truly wanted to make someone happy…how would you do it?”

Hiiro grinned and tried to kiss him, which made him laugh and smack him softly. “I don’t know,” he giggled and relented. 

“There must be something that would ease people’s minds,” Duo insisted. 

Hiiro thought about it and recalled his mark feeling very tired when he considered his chosen path and replied, “Remove the evil from the world.”

However, Duo’s reply to this dark notion was to merely snort and inform him, “Even evil has a heart,” and Hiiro flashed on the smile on his marks lips when he left the casino the night before. “All you have to do is find some way to ease their pain,” Duo worked out, but seemed at a loss as to how it might be accomplished. “There has to be something that would touch them all.”

“I don’t know,” Hiiro sighed while he closed his eyes and traced patterns on his back. “Music maybe.”

“What did you say?” Duo breathed while his eyes sparkled brightly. 

“Music,” Hiiro repeated cautiously. “It’s the universal language isn’t it?”

“That’s it!” Duo crowed bounding out of the bed. 

“What’re you doing?” Hiiro chuckled. 

“We have to test it!” Duo grinned tossing him his underwear. 

“Wait,” Hiiro laughed while he scrambled after him, but he didn’t catch up until they hit the elevator where he caught him up, pinned him to the back wall and kissed him blind. 

“Excuse me,” a stern voice reprimanded soon after when they stopped at another floor. 

Hiiro lowered him to the floor, but refused to let him go while they giggled and made room, then Duo’s eyes lit up. 

“Wufei!” he crowed lunging forward to give him a hug, but all he managed in return was to flail about as if he’d been doused in kerosene. “This is your mom?” Duo smiled when he released him. 

“Who are you?” the stately woman asked. 

“I’m Duo,” he informed her, then smiled adoringly and declared, “Man, you sure are pretty.”

“Do you know these people?” Chang Keung asked while his wife flustered and blushed. 

“We’re acquainted,” Wufei replied. 

“Have you told her yet?” Duo wanted to know. 

“Told me what?” Fei Wen asked while Wufei’s ears crisped.

“Oh, you have to!” Duo enthused. “There are _sooo_ many good reasons to come clean,” he giggled while Hiiro pulled him close and smirked at the astonished Wufei. 

“What is he talking about?” Fei Wen demanded. 

“He appears to be drunk,” Keung observed disapprovingly. 

“Can you get drunk like that?” Duo asked Hiiro who grinned dopily and shrugged. 

Wufei stared at them for a moment, then cleared his throat and buried the secret desire to step into their shoes. 

“Let’s go,” Keung instructed the moment they arrived in the lobby. 

“Bye!” Duo smiled, then turned when he heard singing. “There they are!”

“What’re you up to?” Hiiro wondered, but hung back while Duo dashed up and spoke to the carolers he had sung with the day before. 

“Check this out,” Duo grinned, then promptly climbed up on a table while the carolers gathered around. 

“Excuse me, sir,” a young woman dressed in the hotel livery protested until Hiiro took her in hand and the moment Duo started to sing she fell silent to listen. 

It was a Christmas song, but not one anyone was readily familiar with and it spoke of brotherhood, love and companionship, but the true power of the spell was seeded deep in the enchanted resonance emanating from Duo’s throat. Hiiro slowly stilled when a gentle calm filled him up only vaguely aware of the strange twinkle in the eyes of the people gathering around until a young woman sighed softly beside him and prompted him to scan the assembly. His brow knit when he saw how everyone within the sound of Duo’s voice had stopped to listen and each seemed wholly captivated by the song. Even the valet’s had come inside to listen while the world fell into the gentle rhythm of Duo’s spellbinding melody. When he finished and saw the results of his song his eyes sparkled with delight and turned to find Hiiro who beamed a bright grin his way as the sound of applause began to grow. 

“This is it!” Duo exclaimed as he fell into Hiiro’s open arms. 

“What?” Hiiro wondered.

“My gift,” Duo grinned. “All I have to do is figure out how to give it to them.”

“Who?”

“Everyone!” Duo crowed dancing around until he bounced into someone and stopped to stare at the disgruntled girl. “Oh, hi,” he smiled moving back to Hiiro’s side. 

“We missed you this morning,” Relena informed Hiiro while she looked Duo over critically. 

“How’s that?” Hiiro wondered. 

“The executive’s brunch, of course,” she replied. 

Hiiro recalled having put his name on the list for the event as his mark was supposed to attend, but he’d had more enjoyable things to attend to at the time. “I forgot all about it,” he confessed laughing at his oversight. 

“It’s alright,” she informed him eyeing the way Duo stood so close to him irritably. “You can make it up to me at dinner.”

“Dinner?” Duo echoed. 

“Yes,” she replied looking into the restaurant to observe. “It seems they’ve replenished their stock of lobster just in time.”

“Wha…?” Duo gasped going pale when he saw the tank was filled with fresh shellfish. “Hiiro?” he wibbled while they watched a young man in an apron fishing one out.

“Excuse us,” Hiiro offered hastily while he dragged him that way. “Miss?”

“Yes?” the hostess replied. 

“Would it be possible to reserve them?” he asked indicating the shellfish and Duo went ghostly white.

“Of course,” she smiled taking up a pen. “How many would you like?”

“All of them,” Hiiro informed her adding when the kitchen attendant netted a big one, “That one too.”

“All of them?” she echoed numbly. 

“Yes,” Hiiro nodded anxiously adding to the kitchen aid, “Could you put that back?”

He stopped to consider him while the hostess informed them, “This one has already been purchased…”

“I’ll pay double the market price,” Hiiro interjected pulling his wallet while Duo’s eyes began to sparkle when the net was extracted without its fare. 

“All right,” she breathed clearly of the opinion they’d lost their minds. “When will your party arrive?”

“We’ll pick them up this evening,” Hiiro informed her, then explained, “It’s a backyard barbeque sort of thing.”

“You don’t want them prepared?” she gaped. 

“No,” he instructed. “And see that they’re alive and well.”

“Alright,” she smiled while Duo pounced on Hiiro and kissed him frantically as she put a sold out sign on the tank. 

“You’re incredible!” Duo praised as they moved through the lobby. 

“Why?” Hiiro chuckled. “Because I can’t stand to see you pout?”

“Because your heart is as pure as Kris’s,” Duo grinned realizing the slip when Hiiro’s brow knit. “I have to make a call,” he suddenly burst. 

“The phones are over there,” Hiiro informed him as he was headed for the large doors along the back of the building that led into a large garden on the grounds. 

“Oh, I uh…have my cell,” Duo explained. “But I need a clear signal. I’ll meet you back here!” he sang as he dashed out the door and headed for the woods leaving Hiiro to finger the cell in his pocket while he gazed out into the garden. 

The storm had dumped mountains of snow which made it difficult to move far enough into the woods to contact home, but Duo had a new purpose that pushed his feet along. He stopped about thirty minutes later and glanced back in the direction of the resort smiling in satisfaction when there was nothing but the clear blue sky and trees, then dug out his crystal. 

“Duo!” Quatre exclaimed when his face appeared inside the multifaceted orb. “Where are you? We’ve been looking everywhere for you since Rudolph came home alone last night! Are you alright!?”

“I’m fine,” Duo assured him. “But something wonderful has happened!”

Quatre’s face puckered skeptically while Trowa appeared over his shoulder and asked, “What sort of trouble are you brewing up now?”

“There’s no trouble,” Duo defended uncertainly. 

“Duo,” Quatre groaned.

“No, now just listen,” he insisted. “I met someone and…”

“This ‘someone’ being a human,” Trowa interjected causing his mates eyes to grow wide.

“A human!?” Quatre gasped. 

“Well…yes, but…”

“Duo Maxwell, you head for the nearest ice field right now!” Quatre barked. “I’m sending someone to pick you up and…”

“Nothing…happened,” Duo assured him, but the odd way his cheeks pinked drew Trowa’s scrutiny. 

“Duo?” he prompted suspiciously. 

“Well, nothing bad,” Duo amended. 

“What did you do!?” Quatre demanded petulantly.

“Nothing you haven’t done,” Duo grumbled defensively and Quatre’s eyes went wider while his face flared red. 

“Has your origin been compromised?” Trowa inquired ignoring his lover’s plight. 

“No,” Duo sighed. “But we figured out what to do about Christmas.”

“You talked to a human about Christmas!?” Quatre exclaimed. 

“It was just a casual conversation,” Duo explained. “But I’ll need your help to pull it off.”

“Duo,” Quatre prompted sensibly. “Why don’t you just come home and we can all sit down and talk about this like reasonable adults.”

“I’m not ready to leave him yet,” Duo pouted. 

“Him?” Trowa echoed and Quatre nearly fainted when he nodded happily. 

“I’m going to need a spell,” Duo told them. “A powerful one.”

“Why?” Trowa wondered. 

“Because,” Duo smiled. “I finally know what the world is missing, but I’ll need to be able to touch each and every mind on Christmas at midnight.”

“That would require an enchantment of mammoth proportions,” Quatre sighed. 

“Then you better get to work!” Duo chirped. 

“Let’s humor him,” Trowa smiled earning an astonished look from his mate. “Maybe he’s finally got it right.”

Quatre’s eyes bulged for a moment before something in Trowa’s gaze eased his mind and he sighed heavily before he conceded, “Alright.”

“You won’t be sorry!” Duo gushed. “It’ll be perfect! You’ll see!”

“If you’re discovered all we’re going to see is the end of our era,” Quatre grumbled. 

“Who’s gonna know?” Duo grinned and ended the call only to jump so hard he fell on his ass in the snow when Hiiro replied…

“Me.”

“Hiiro!” Duo gasped looking around frantically. “How long have you been there?”

“Long enough,” Hiiro confessed offering him a hand up. “Why didn’t you just tell me?”

Duo eyed him hard for a moment then snorted, “You believe in me?”

“It’s hard to deny something that’s right in front of your face,” Hiiro smirked while he reached up and tweaked his pointed ear. 

Duo pulled his hat back on tight and explained, “Most people are more inclined to offer us white jackets and rubber rooms.”

Hiiro chuckled and informed him, “If one of us is crazy I would think it’s me.” Duo laughed along and Hiiro wondered, “Is it all true then?”

“Most of it,” Duo nodded. “Though we’ve lost so many people over the years we can hardly keep up.”

“Even Santa Claus?” Hiiro smirked and Duo grinned. 

“Kris is an incredible person,” he confessed. “But even he’s only one man. He’s lucky if he can manage to reach all the kids who deserve a present each year, which leaves no time at all for the adults, so…”

“You’re going to help him,” Hiiro surmised coming close enough to touch their noses together while Duo’s breathing shortened. “And I’m going to help you.”

“Why?” Duo asked breathlessly. 

“Because,” Hiiro smiled. “You’ve given me the greatest gift of all,” he confessed, then kissed him so warmly Duo dropped his crystal. 

“Wh…what’s that?” Duo stammered still shaken by Hiiro’s kiss while he gazed into his eyes and replied…

“Hope.”

Duo offered him a lopsided grin, then enthused, “Come on!” as he bounded through the deep snow with Hiiro hot on his heels. They ran all the way back and were throwing snowballs at each other when they stumbled onto the elegantly decorated patio near the entrance to the resort when Duo suddenly stopped and shouted, “Wufei!” 

Hiiro laughed as he caught him around the waist and registered the fact that Wufei was standing beside an elaborately decorated gazebo with a young girl who looked almost as miserable as he did. His parents stood nearby and there were other people who were all dressed quite formally, but it didn’t stop Duo from shouting, “Want to help us free some innocent souls from oppression!?”

The people surrounding Wufei balked and whispered scandalously, but his gaze had locked on the happy couple with their rosy red cheeks and bright smiles causing an elation to bubble up in his chest. When he looked back to the girl he was about to put a ring on the finger of the pleading light in her eyes sealed his fate. 

“Wait up!” shouted turning to hurdle a table as he beat a path their way.

“GO, WUFEI!” the girl sang behind him and he grinned wildly while he and his friends dashed inside and headed for the lift. 

“I can’t believe I just did that!” he panted laughing merrily while the elevator took them away. 

“To freedom!” Duo exclaimed. 

“My fathers going to kill me,” Wufei groaned amusedly. 

“He’ll get over it,” Hiiro smiled while he wrapped Duo up from behind. “And you might just end up happy.”

Wufei smiled while he watched them cuddle and hope sprang to life inside him, but it withered somewhat when he stepped into their bathroom. 

“What’s going on?” he asked while Duo worked on filling a bucket with water and slightly hysterical shellfish. 

“He’s a vegetarian,” Hiiro explained. 

“They were going to eat them,” Duo elaborated while he tucked the last of them into the bucket. 

“You’re the one who stole the lobster,” Wufei surmised laughing out loud. 

“Why does everyone think it’s funny?” Duo grumbled. 

“We’re taking them to the ocean to set them free,” Hiiro explained stealing Wufei’s mirth away. 

“You’re kidding, right?”

“No,” Duo groused. “All creatures deserve to be free,” he declared while he carried the bucket toward the door. 

Wufei’s smile softened until it matched Hiiro’s until Duo stopped at the door. 

“What’s wrong?” Hiiro inquired. 

“They’ll see us,” Duo grumbled. 

“How did you get them up here?” Wufei wondered, but all Duo did was gaze expectantly into Hiiro’s eyes. 

“Let’s tell him the truth,” Hiiro suggested. 

“Tell me what?” Wufei asked cautiously. 

“You have to promise not to tell,” Duo told him. “If I’m discovered it could put an end to Christmas permanently.”

“Chinese people don’t celebrate Christmas,” Wufei reminded them. 

“He’s a Christmas elf,” Hiiro grinned pulling his hat off to demonstrate, but all Wufei did was stare at them. “You know, like Santa’s workshop and Kris Kringle?” Hiiro prompted, but still nothing. 

“We try to keep a very low profile,” Duo went on. “But I had a little accident and smashed Hiiro’s car…”

“Then the storm delayed his call home just long enough for me to…”

“Needless to say,” Duo cut in tactfully while Hiiro laughed. “We don’t eat…animals,” he cringed. “So when I saw these little guys…”

“Wait,” Wufei held up a hand. “You’re serious?”

“Yes,” Duo replied. “But you have to promise not to tell because once you’ve seen the magic…”

“Magic?” Wufei laughed. “Okay…where’s the punch line? Really.”

Duo sighed and looked once more to Hiiro who was grinning unabashedly, so he reached in his pocket, drew out some dust and sprinkled it on the bucket, which instantly vanished and inspired Wufei to stumble back and trip over the couch.

“Is your head okay?” Duo asked sheepishly while Wufei held an ice pack to his skull and they rode the lift to the lobby.

“I think I bruised my brain,” he groaned glancing at the absence of a bucket in Hiiro’s fist. 

“Thanks for helping out,” Duo smiled. 

Wufei returned the expression and reasoned, “It’s only a couple of shellfish.”

“Here,” Hiiro said handing Duo the ticket for his car. “Have them bring it around and we’ll get the rest.”

“The rest?” Wufei deadpanned. 

“They’re in the restaurant,” Duo grinned. 

“All of them?!” Wufei gasped while he was dragged away and Duo laughed. 

It took a few minutes for the valet to get the car, but it soon arrived and Duo set to securing the invisible bucket in the trunk, but just as he was preparing to seek out his companions a sweet voice greeted him. 

“You’re Hiiro’s friend,” Relena smiled. 

“Hello again,” he returned. 

“You seem very close,” she smiled sweetly. 

“He’s incredible,” he enthused. 

“I can imagine,” she snorted, then asked, “Would you mind helping out with this?”

“Sure,” he smiled going to lift the large bag that was sitting by a long, black car into the trunk for her. “Anything else?” he smiled when the task was done. 

“Just this,” she smiled, then pushed him so he tripped and fell in, then slammed the trunk shut. “Oh, valet!”

“Yes, miss?” 

“Return this to the garage,” she instructed. “And don’t mind the noise in the trunk. Father said he’d have it fixed tomorrow.”

“Very well,” the valet nodded accepting the keys, but his brow knit when he heard banging coming from inside the trunk. 

“Be quick,” Relena insisted and he nodded again, then drove away just as Hiiro and Wufei came out of the resort. 

“Where is he?” Wufei wondered while he deposited a large, plastic container of live lobsters in the trunk of Hiiro’s battered car. 

“I don’t know,” Hiiro replied having a look around, but all he saw was that annoying blonde girl coming toward them. 

“Good evening,” she greeted smugly. 

“Hello,” Hiiro replied amiably, then asked, “Did you happen to see Duo out here?”

“Who?” she inquired innocently. 

“My companion,” Hiiro reminded her. 

“Perhaps he decided to go home,” she mused. 

“He was supposed to meet us here,” Wufei informed her sternly. 

“Well, he seemed like the fickle type to me so, who knows?” she chuckled, then offered a smug, “Goodnight,” as she went inside. 

“Something’s not right,” Wufei stated as he watched her go. 

“What could have happened?” Hiiro wondered while he tried to work out if someone from the workshop might be responsible, but Trowa and Quatre agreed to help them, so…his thoughts stalled when he saw one of the valets returning from the parking garage and stopped him. 

“Pardon me,” he greeted. “But did you happen to see a young man dressed like a Christmas elf here a moment ago?”

“Yeah,” the guy nodded looking around, but he didn’t see him. “I brought up his car, but…”

“Did you see where he went?”

“He was here a few minutes ago,” he said looking around curiously, then his head suddenly snapped around to stare at where the limo had been while he exclaimed, “No way!”

“What?!” Hiiro demanded. 

“She wouldn’t,” he gasped. 

“Wouldn’t what?” Hiiro growled seizing him.

“Come on!” he exclaimed dashing into the garage with Wufei and Hiiro following quickly behind. “Man, I knew she was spoiled, but this is going way too far!”

“What’s going on!?” Hiiro demanded as they skidded to a halt behind a long limo, but the valet didn’t bother to stop long enough to answer. “Duo!?” Hiiro gasped when the trunk came open and revealed his sad looking lover inside. “How did you get in there?” Hiiro asked lifting him up to cradle in his arms. 

“I’ll inform her father,” the valet snipped, but Duo stopped him with a quiet…”

“Don’t.”

“But, Duo,” Wufei objected. 

“She must be upset,” he argued. “That’s why she does these things.”

“But we didn’t do anything to her!” Hiiro growled while he set him on his feet. 

“I don’t think it’s us she’s angry with,” Duo told them. 

“Is he for real?” the valet deadpanned and they all laughed. 

“We’ll deal with her ourselves,” Hiiro told him. 

“All right,” he sighed. “But you’re going to ruin her game.”

“What game?” Wufei wondered. 

“She’s always causing trouble. I think she does it just to piss her old man off.”

Hiiro glanced at Duo who glanced at Wufei before they thanked him and returned to their task. The trunk of Hiiro’s car wasn’t big enough to hold all the containers though, so Wufei got to ride in the back with the ones that wouldn’t fit and baby sit the refugees. 

“So, why’d you fly the coop?” he asked after a time. 

“I didn’t,” Duo replied. “I got caught in the storm and ran into Hiiro’s car. 

“How did you hit him if you were flying in a sleigh?” Wufei asked skeptically, but the presence of invisible lobsters in the trunk helped keep his mind open. 

“It was dark, then we hit a tree…”

“You were flying a sleigh in the dark?”

“Rudy has a cold.”

“Rudy?”

“Rudolph,” Hiiro explained seeming to be getting a major kick out of the conversation. 

“Right,” Wufei sighed. “But if he was pulling your sleigh why couldn’t you see?”

“Because his nose doesn’t work when it’s stopped up,” Duo explained. 

“Of course,” Wufei nodded. 

Duo told them more about his home and all the years they’d been working to make Christmas bright while they drove and they laughed till their sides hurt at all the trouble he’d caused through the years. It seemed like no time had passed at all when they arrived at the seashore and unpacked their load, but Duo refused to let even one of the lobsters enter the water until he’d laid a gentle kiss on their shell which shimmered and glittered embedding the exoskeleton with red, green and gold. 

“Share the love,” he told them as he placed them one by one in the rocks by a seawall and Hiiro pulled him close while they watched them glitter in the water as they marched determinedly out to sea. 

“Maybe,’ Wufei smiled while he turned his face to the stars, “everything will be alright after all.”

“Just love them,” Duo advised cuddling deeper into Hiiro’s strong arms. “And everything will work out just fine.”

The return trip was a bit more subdued, but no less enjoyable because Wufei decided to drive leaving ample time for Hiiro to snuggle with Duo in the back seat. It wasn’t long before they were comfortably ensconced and Duo decided to favor them with a song. 

“That’s so beautiful,” Wufei commented as it came to a close. 

“It’s my gift,” Duo told him.

“What happens when it’s done?” Hiiro asked sounding somber while he nuzzled his neck, “What will you do?”

Wufei glanced in the mirror while he listened for an answer, but nothing ever came. Instead, Duo rolled over and cuddled a little closer while Hiiro held him tight. Wufei was almost sad when they arrived and they were forced to part, but the excitement in Duo’s eyes buffered the melancholy. 

“I need to call Quatre,” Duo told them eyeing the woods. 

“We don’t have time for a trek into the forest,” Hiiro told him checking his watch which displayed fifteen minutes to midnight. 

“The roof!” Wufei suggested leading them toward the lift. 

“Wufei!”

He stopped as he pushed the call button at the sound of his fathers stern tone, but had drawn himself to his full height by the time he turned to face him. “Hello, Father.”

“Where have you been!?” he demanded. 

“Wufei!” Fei Wen gasped rushing over when she saw them. “Are you alright?”

“Of course,” he sniffed wrinkling his brow when he glanced at Duo because he was sort of gaping at him. 

“You’re behavior today was atrocious,” Keung growled. “The Brighton’s were furious!”

“I’m sorry for having upset them,” Wufei told him glancing nervously at Duo again. “But my decision is made.”

“It most certainly is not!” his father snapped. 

“Keung,” Fei Wen soothed. 

“I regret that it has caused you any trouble…” Wufei began, but Duo cut him off with a heartfelt…

“Who’re you?”

“What?” 

“You,” Duo reiterated indicating his whole self. “A minute ago you were Wufei, but now…”

“I…” Wufei began, then stopped while he looked into his eyes and laughed. “You’re right,” he sighed. “I guess there’s no way they’ll understand until they see the real Wufei.”

“He’s a great guy,” Duo grinned. 

“Wufei,” Fei Wen breathed. “What is going on?”

“I’ll explain everything later,” he promised surprising her by kissing her forehead. “I promise.”

“I,” she stammered, then saw something in his eyes that warmed her heart. “Alright,” she smiled. 

“I’ll be back in a little while,” he told his father who was set so off balance by his casual attitude he couldn’t find his tongue before the lift took them away. 

“You need to hurry,” Hiiro told Duo when they arrived on the roof, but Duo already had his crystal out. 

“Quatre!”

“You sure like to cut it clos…AH!” he barked when he saw Hiiro and Wufei.

“Relax,” Duo soothed. “They’re with me.”

“Trowa!”

“Now you have two?” Trowa chuckled. 

“I’ll explain later,” Duo promised. “Is it ready?”

“Of course, it’s ready,” Quatre snipped balling up something in his hand. “And you’d better not make a mess of it because Kris is too busy to save you tonight.”

Duo opened his mouth to retort, but got a face full of snowball instead. “Thanks!” he grinned when he discovered a small, blue crystal inside. 

“Make it count,” Quatre told him. 

“Come on!” he crowed heading for the lift. 

“We’ll never make it by midnight,” Hiiro observed. 

“Sure we will,” Duo grinned reaching into one of his many, multicolored pockets. “There’s a reason Kris can make it all over the world in one night,” he told them then blew the bit of glitter in his hand on the elevator buttons. 

“Whoa!” Wufei gasped when the lift suddenly dropped like a stone, but all Hiiro could manage was an Earth shattering…

“AHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!”

“UFF!” they all grunted when they hit bottom and the lift recoiled so they wouldn’t get squished, but they had to pick themselves up off the floor before dashing into the main lobby. 

“Where?” Wufei breathed. 

“That’ll do,” Duo grinned heading for the Christmas tree where Hiiro and Wufei lifted him up and placed him on one of the giant presents that surrounded the base. 

“Sir!”

“Shh!” Hiiro and Wufei shushed the hotel attendant who fell silent when she recognized Duo. 

A small crowd was already gathering when he cupped the small, blue crystal in his hands and everyone ground slowly to a halt when he opened his mouth and began to sing. Hiiro couldn’t take his eyes off him while the melody grew and expanded as the crystal began to glow and rose into the air. Outside the people turned toward the melodious sound and stopped to listen as the cadence grew. It was the most beautiful sound, a voice as true as the purest heart and seemed to resonate with bells and the crisp tang of an angel’s strings while it spread out and touched the minds of the people of the world. 

“Kris?” a young elf inquired when the sound reached their ears. “Is that…Duo?”

But all the jolly old man did was laugh heartedly and spur his reindeer into flight. 

Young and old alike stopped to listen to the song all over the world as each was lulled by its enchanting melody until not one heart was darkened by fear, no hand was raised in anger and for one short moment in time the world was truly at peace. 

“Duo?” Hiiro breathed having felt the significance of the moment as the last notes of the song fell from his lips. 

“I did it, Hiiro,” Duo smiled letting his tears fall in happy droplets down his face. “They heard me.”

“Oh, Duo,” Hiiro enthused accepting him gratefully into his arms where Wufei wrapped them both up and squeezed them tight. 

“Daddy?”

They looked up at the sound of Relena’s voice, but she was too busy gaping at her father to notice them. 

“Where did you run off to?” he asked coming to take her hand. “I was looking for you.”

“You were?” she asked glancing warily at Duo, but he only smiled. 

“Why do you always run away?” Mr. Darlian asked. “I wanted to give you my gift.”

“You did?” she asked while she followed him. 

“Yes,” he chuckled. “But we’re together now and I’m not letting you get away again.”

“Really, Daddy?” she smiled. 

“This trip was for us after all,” he reminded her. 

Duo smiled for a moment, then gasped as his face fell and he dug his crystal out of his pocket. “The roof!” he crowed dashing for the elevator with Hiiro and Wufei fast behind. 

“What’s going ON!” Hiiro asked, but was suddenly plastered to the floor when Duo dusted the buttons and they shot skyward. The lift compensated for the sudden stop at the top, but they still got bounced before they were dumped onto the roof where a large man in a bright red suit stood in front of a brightly colored sleigh. 

“Kris!” Duo crowed as he launched himself at him and hung around his thick neck. “I did it! Did you hear! Was it right?!”

He calmed somewhat when Kris leaned his large head to the side and peered at the two astonished humans who where still sprawled all over the roof. 

“Oh, um, this is Hiiro and Wufei,” Duo explained backing off to a more respectable distance. “They helped me, but…”

“It’s an honor to meet you,” Wufei offered having gained his feet. 

“Duo is a remarkable person,” Hiiro added hopefully. “Everything he does is…”

“With a pure heart,” Kris smiled while his eyes twinkled merrily. 

Duo smiled and blushed, but held his ground when Kris leaned his big face into his personal space and smiled, “You did well.”

“We did it,” Duo countered flashing a grateful glance at his partners in crime, but he was wholly unprepared when Santa scooped him up, hugged him tight and offered a soggy…

“Thank you.”

Duo’s arms slowly wrapped around his thick neck where they held him tight until a smaller sleigh suddenly appeared out of nowhere and almost swept everyone off the roof. 

“Sorry!” Quatre offered while he and Trowa crawled out and stumbled into the group. 

“Hi, Quat!” Duo chirped giving him a big hug. 

“It worked,” Quatre smiled happily. 

“It was amazing,” Duo agreed. “You made it perfect.”

“We made it,” Quatre smiled at Trowa who wrapped an arm around him.

“I must go,” Kris informed them as he climbed into his sleigh. “See that he is well cared for,” he smiled.

“We’ll see him home safe,” Trowa promised, but stalled when Duo simply said…

“Wait.”

“What’s the matter?” Quatre asked sensing the turmoil inside him. 

Duo turned to Hiiro with such longing in his eyes he instantly drew him close and held on tight. “I don’t want to leave,” Duo confessed pushing back so he could see Hiiro’s eyes. “I don’t want to leave you.” 

“You can’t stay!” Quatre gaped, then fell silent when Trowa laid a hand on his shoulder that revealed the great sorrow his comment had caused. 

“I can’t leave him,” Duo told them looking as if he might fall apart until Kris smiled and informed them…

“You don’t have too.”

Hiiro’s eyes grew wide when his hand rose over Duo’s head, but before the glitter in his palm could fall he snatched him out of the way and commanded, “Don’t!”

“Hiiro?” Duo breathed. 

“It doesn’t have to be that way does it?” he asked desperately, then turned his attention to the big guy with the red hat. “I know I’m not worthy but…couldn’t I come with you?”

“Hiiro?” Duo repeated excitedly. 

“I’ve done horrible things in my life,” Hiiro confessed gripping Duo’s arms firmly. “I didn’t know what else to do, but now I see! You can’t beat evil be becoming it, the only way is to shine so bright there’s no room for shadow!”

“You’d do that…for me?” Duo asked wondrously. 

“For us,” Hiiro told him. “For them,” he added indicating the world at large. “It’s all I ever wanted, but I’ve been doing it all wrong. Please,” he begged the big man on the sleigh. “Let me come with you.”

Kris smiled and raised his hand over his head whereupon Duo stepped back and smiled while he informed him, “Purity of heart is not judged by deeds alone.”

Hiiro took a deep breath when the glittering dust began to fall and smiled when his clothes began to shift and change, but before the transformation was complete Wufei hit him in the side and held on tight while he soaked up the shimmering light. When the illumination faded and he released him they were dressed in the most outlandish outfits complete with bells and candy stripes and laughed their jingly butts off when Duo tackled them in a fit of hysteria. Quatre and Trowa were pulled into the mix when Duo nabbed him by the ankle and he subsequently pulled Trowa down and they giggled and wallowed around until they were all winded and quite drunk. 

A quick snap of the whip in Kris’s hand spurred his reindeer to flight and inspired the night to open its arms and carry him off to some other place leaving the five giddy elves to sort themselves out. 

“What about your family?” Duo wondered of Wufei. 

“I doubt my sexuality will be any major concern when we have this conversation,” he chuckled indicating his new outfit. 

“But you’re immortal now,” Quatre reminded him. “Won’t you miss them?”

“Most children outlive their parents,” Wufei reasoned. “And this way my fathers name will be eternal. That’ll make him happy, believe me,” he grinned. 

“Don’t get the idea you can’t die just because you can’t grow old,” Trowa warned. “We’ve lost more elves that way.”

“Let’s go have desert!” Duo crowed. 

“In there!?” Quatre balked. 

“Oh, just pull your hat down,” Duo grumbled trying to do it for him while the others fell into step and laughed. 

**

Epilogue

The ground was crisp with freshly fallen snow while Bernie made his merry way into the workshop. This season had gone quite well and with Duo off on his grand adventure nothing had fallen apart or exploded even once! He was anxious to get started on next year and grinned while he opened the door, but his eyes widened in horror when he heard a wailing screech and was suddenly blown back out the door where he landed in a snow bank when Duo ripped a righteous rift from his new guitar. 

“Sorry!” he called from the door while their foreman dug himself out of the snow. 

“Duo!” Quatre called. “Come on, we have five more songs to write!”

“And we need to have them ready by October if we’re going on tour,” Hiiro smiled snaking an arm around his waist to pull him close while the foreman gaped at them. 

“Sorry, Bernie!” Duo shouted out the door promising, “We should be finished by April!”

“Maybe June,” Wufei smirked and Duo laughed as Hiiro kissed him and closed the door while Bernie huffed and marched straight into Kris’s office. 

Merry Christmas!

**Author's Note:**

> Write it, draw it, create it, sing it, SHARE IT. ~ Sunhawk 2019


End file.
